remove hooks from lures?

Your fishing buddy's an idiot... he should buy his own damn license.

if you live in an area where you only see a warden a couple times a year, you're probably safe.

However, to me it sounds like you're asking for trouble. A game warden would probably find your justification sarcastic at best and willfully provocative at worse. "Just TRY to prove he was fishing, stupid fishcop. How's he gonna catch a fish with no hook, huh?" It's hard for those guys to not give out a ticket if you're at the water and you've got a fishing pole in your hand, with no license. For example, if you're heading to or from the lake with a fishing pole in your possession -- even if it has no hook or lure on it -- you can be asked to show your license. You can say, "Oh, I'm not fishing, I'm just taking this pole to my buddy" or whatever, but chances are, you'll get a ticket. One of the biggest problems, as I see it, is that your buddy will be with you, and you will presumably have a tacklebox full of lures and hooks and bait. If this pal of yours was alone at the water with a rod but absolutely no means of ever hooking a fish nearby or on his person, then, hmm, maybe the game warden MIGHT scratch his head and say, "Have a nice day." But if you two are together, the warden could make a case that five minutes earlier your buddy could have been fishing with a hook. He'd give your pal a ticket and he'd have to fight it and yadda yadda yadda. If your buddy wants to go along but doesn't want a ticket, just make sure he doesn't lay hands on a fishing pole. Drink beer and shoot the breeze, but don't let the guy even go through the motions. Or, as someone else said, just get him a license...

Your question contains the answer. The fish can't "voluntarily" take the hook if there is no hook. Ain't it funny how if you refine a question, it answers itself?

It does raise interesting questions though about "intent." Last year I was checked for my fishing license by a fish and wildlife officer and he asked what I was fishing for....since I hadn't caught anything yet, it seemed like a silly question but since he was dressed for war I decided to keep my smart remarks to myself.

I suspect I could have gotten in trouble if I had said the wrong thing even though it would have been based on my intent rather than my action.

Except, since I hadn't caught anything I asked if I could get a refund for my fishing license. He wasn't amused.

If you did get fined, I'd begin worrying about practice casting on vacant football fields.

Of course, this assumes there are no sail fish in the area. Apparently, you can catch sail fish with just string...no hook:

http://bluewaterfishing.webs.com/fishingintenerife...

Is it possible then to understand the regulation better, the definition be fully translated to incorporate "pursue, hunt, capture or attempt to do so" is fishing without a hook still fishing? using pursuit as the one word of important consequences, not to mention hunting. Where as the ticket would still be written and it's meaning interpreted on a higher level. The only hope after the fact would be taking the ticket to a court and through the leniency of the court it be dismissed. But that would not happen unless before signing the ticket (acknowledging your folly, you have the game warden who wrote the ticket) add the fact that the ticket was written based on loose translation of pursuit, adding (and this would have to be added) "this angler was fishing with hookless baits" but I wouldn't chance it working out without penalty.

I would say no but I'm sure if a warden saw that they would say different. If there is no hook to keep the fish on how is that fishing, you are teasing the fish. If I went hunting with an unloaded shotgun would that be considered bird watching? It's a good question that your state fish and game should define and clarify.

PB blaster is strong stuff!! I wouldnt use it because I think it will take a long time to come clean. Depending on how rusty the hooks are just use light sand paper. Theres not much you can do once they rust but there is a thing from "owner", the hook company that you put on your hooks and it rusts away in place of the hook. When its gone you replace it. Its called "rustop". Cabelas has it.

Pro bass fishermen will often practice with hookless lures at the lakes that they are going to be having the tournaments at. They do that so that they can find where the fish are at without actually spooking them too much from biting come tournament day. But, I don't know where or if it's legal everywhere. Why wouldn't it be if you are just using it as a teaser for "fishing" but not "catching."

Here's the deal- It would be open to interpretation by the wildlife agent. And since some of them would rather write a ticket then have sex, you can't depend on a consistent result. I had a question last year and called and asked 6 different agents. The results were 50-50. Half said they would issue me a ticket and half said they would not issue a ticket. It was concerning the height of the lugs on an ATV tire for use in the state reserves. A height over one inch was illegal. But the treads on my tires were worn below an inch. Your question was similar to mine. But since I would rather buy a new set of tires for $400 then pay a $400 fine I chose to put on tires that would be acceptable and not open to interpretation.

It should be O.K because you are not going to catch the fish you are just seeing if they will bite. and there is no hook so you cant possibly catch the fish

A fish could swallow the whole bait and ingest it and you could possibly catch it still. Also it could be considered as pursuing a fish so it's illegal without a license.

That is perfectly legal. That's not fishing, it's casting. But.........why not just get online and get a fishing license? It takes all of about 5 minutes. I haven't bought a license in person in years.